Beijing, China Winter Olympics Boycott: US, UK And Australia Must Pay For Wrong Actions!

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin. (Source: is.china-embassy.org)

JAKARTA - Australia, Britain, and the United States will pay the price for their "wrongful actions" after deciding not to send a government delegation to the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing in Beijing, China's Foreign Ministry said Thursday.

The United States was the first to announce a boycott, saying on Monday its government officials would not attend the Games, because of China's human rights "cruelty", weeks after talks aimed at easing tensions between the world's two largest economies.

"The United States, Britain, and Australia have used the Olympic platform for political manipulation", said Wang Wenbin, a spokesman for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

"They have to pay the price for their wrong actions", he told a regular news conference.

Relations between Beijing and Washington have deteriorated sharply under former US President Donald Trump and the Biden administration has maintained pressure on China.

Disagreements center on a range of issues including trade, the origins of the Coronavirus, and China's maritime claims in the South China Sea.

Australian Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, said earlier his decision not to send officials to the Olympics was made because he struggled to reopen diplomatic channels with China, to discuss human rights in the far western region of Xinjiang, and China's move to block Australian imports.

Meanwhile, China has denied wrongdoing in Xinjiang, home to the Muslim Uighur minority, saying the allegations of rights abuses were fabricated.

On Wednesday, the US House of Representatives passed a law to ban imports from Xinjiang, over concerns about forced labor, one of three measures strongly supported as Washington rejects Beijing's treatment of the Uighur community.

"China firmly opposes this. The United States practices unilateralism, protectionism and oppresses China in the name of human rights", said Gao Feng, a spokesman for China's Ministry of Commerce, referring to the US action.

"The United States must immediately stop its wrongdoing. We will take necessary steps to firmly protect China's legitimate rights and interests", Gao told a regular press conference.

To note, the US stance will seriously harm the interests of both companies and consumers, exacerbate global supply chain tensions and weigh on the global economic recovery, Gao warned.

Meanwhile, the US House of Representatives voted in favor of the "Uighur Forced Labor Prevention Act" by 428-1. To become law, it must also pass the Senate and be signed by President Joe Biden.